Heights Chick-fil-A hosts Daddy-Daughter Night

Olivia Johnson, 9, and her father, Tim Johnson, climb into a horse-drawn carriage while taking part in a Chick-fil-A -ponsored Daddy-Daughter Date Night on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at Chick-fil-A in Harker Heights.

Vanessa Lynch | Herald staff writer | PostedMar 16, 2014

HARKER HEIGHTS — Dads and their daughters gathered Saturday at Chick-fil-A to share a meal and spend some quality time together.

Tables got a fine dining upgrade and were adorned with flowers and pink-and- white table cloths.

Employees dressed up for the occasion, escorting families to their tables as well as acting as servers, providing table service.

When Evelyn Hall, 7, and her sister, Annagrace Hall, 20 months, walked in holding their dad Kyle Hall’s hands, both young ladies received a pink carnation.

“This is really nice,” Evelyn said. “I like how pretty it looks in here and that everything is pink. Pink is my favorite color.”

Ericka Villarreal, the restaurant’s marketing director, said they hold the event yearly.

“They just pay for the food they order and the extras are on us,” she said referring to the chocolate fountain dessert bar, flowers and goody bags and the surprise horse-drawn carriage rides provided by Spotted Horse Livery in Copperas Cove. “This is just something special and it gives dads the opportunity to spend time with their daughters,” Villarreal said.

Thirty-two fathers and their daughters made reservations for the annual event, including Tim Johnson and his daughter, Olivia, 9.

“The date night gives me the opportunity to spend time with her and show her she is special and appreciated,” he said.

Before the evening was over, fathers and daughters took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the building.

Olivia Johnson, 9, and her father, Tim Johnson, climb into a horse-drawn carriage while taking part in a Chick-fil-A -ponsored Daddy-Daughter Date Night on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at Chick-fil-A in Harker Heights.